


So Come On Fly Away With Me

by JemTheKingOfSass



Category: Free!
Genre: AU Prompt: Vehicles, Day 3, M/M, Meet-Cute, RinHaru Week 2018, Rinharu Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-05 08:50:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16807396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemTheKingOfSass/pseuds/JemTheKingOfSass
Summary: The wild-haired man chuckles. “I'd like to think you wouldn’t have to search very hard for my cool side.”Haru scoffs as he itches to run his hands through crimson locks in disarray, simply to smooth them out after a long flight, he convinces himself. “Is that so?”“Are you sureafterdrooling on me is the best time for sass?”





	So Come On Fly Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

> RH Week 2018 Day 3  
> AU Prompt: _**Vehicles**_
> 
> Title from ["Fly Away With Me" by Tom Walker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5dhDn3R0A0) (not relevant to fic but a lovely song lol).
> 
> Fic request: _I fell asleep on your shoulder during a flight, I’m embarrassed, I think I might have drooled, but you invite me for coffee on the way to baggage claim and everything is fine._

* * *

Haru hums contentedly under his breath and snuggles deeper into his pillow, nudging it insistently to smooth out the odd shape that digs into his ear. He grimaces as he notices a damp spot that now lays against his cheek. White noise whirring in the background, he hovers in the hazy realm between states of consciousness, and if he simply ignores the moist patch on the cotton of his pillowcase, he will be able to easily drift back into slumber. 

It’s a little undesirable though, and cozying up to his own drool is not somewhere Haru longs to be.

With a sigh, the weary passenger raises his head to turn his pillow over to the dry side. Confused by the bony shape and non-blue color of his travel pillow, he blinks away the remaining drowsiness. His pillow is a shoulder, and it’s attached to an incredulous staring face.

“I wondered how long you were going to dig your cheek into my jacket in search of a more comfortable position.” The man sounds amused, which is a far cry from Haru’s own mortification, as he gazes down at his now wide awake seatmate. 

Haru swallows with difficulty, wondering why this situation unsettles him more than any other bizarre occurrence in his life, his usual ambivalence to the opinions of strangers a distant memory as he stares agape into the handsome visage of his chortling pillow. “It’s good I didn’t try to flip you over.”

The wild-haired man chuckles. “I'd like to think you wouldn’t have to search very hard for my cool side.”

Haru scoffs as he itches to run his hands through crimson locks in disarray, simply to smooth them out after a long flight, he convinces himself. “Is that so?”

“Are you sure _after_ drooling on me is the best time for sass?” 

Haru’s mind blanks out as he is reminded of why his in-flight companion is holding a conversation with him in the first place. He inwardly curses his inability to stay awake when he travels, reaffirming that he should have gone with his gut instinct to ignore the flight attendant and keep his tray table down to use as a headrest, then he could have wet his own sleeves instead of a stranger’s soft, flannel ones. “I’m fine with my life choices.”

The man lets a loud barking laugh escape his mouth, and Haru is annoyed at how beautiful he is with reckless mirth illuminating his face. He suddenly wishes he had a funny joke to tell, except that one about the guy who fell asleep on a stranger’s shoulder during a flight from Beijing to Tokyo isn’t particularly hilarious, and it’s too soon for Haru to laugh about it at his own expense. 

“Hey,” the man nudges him lightly in the side. “We’re about to land at Haneda. Are you free for a bit?”

“No.” Haru deadpans. “I have a hot date with my suitcase. She gets mad when I stand her up.”

Bright, expressive eyes widen before they crinkle up, and another fit of laughter fills the air between their seats. When his companion regains his composure, he cocks his head and assesses Haru with a grin. “Okay. Now you have to agree to join me for a drink.” 

“Me?”

“Yep, you. The sleepy traveler.”

Haru senses his cheeks and the tips of his ears grow warm as he reaches up to make sure there’s no leftover crust in the corner of his mouth. He glances down at his grubby black track pants and well-worn grey sweatshirt with a quiet snort, seeing the dull clothes that could pass for pajamas through the eyes of a stranger. He peers back up and sees sharp teeth digging into a bottom lip, eyebrows drawn together, and self-confidence wavering on too pretty of a face to wear that expression. He really just wants to go home. And yet-

“Can I drink tea?”

With a smile that releases tension in hunched shoulders, the sparkle returns. Haru leans forward, wanting to be captured by the sheer radiance in front of him. “Of course! Anything you’d like, sleepy traveler.”

“Haru.”

“Ahh Haru, nice to meet you. I’m Rin.” A smooth hand with long and slender fingers is thrust enthusiastically towards him.

Haru stares down at it. “Didn’t we pass this step when I slept on you?”

“Tch, just shake it, it’s what normal people do.” Before Haru can accept the handshake, the pilot’s voice crackles throughout the aircraft, explaining that there’s a little turbulence and it might be a bumpy descent. Rin lurches forward and grabs onto Haru’s hand with the one that isn’t already clenching the armrest. “Shit shit shit, I hate _normal_ landings.”

Haru makes note of Rin’s rapidly paling face and the sweat beginning to gather along his forehead. He slips a thumb free and runs it along Rin’s clammy wrist where he feels the jackhammering pulse. He inwardly sighs, not sure how he got stuck next to the one passenger frightened of passing through a few clouds.

Haru twists his hand and weaves their fingers together. “It’ll be okay, Rin.”

Rin audibly gulps, forcing a response out before tightly pressing his lips together. “Y-yeah.”

Haru squeezes Rin’s trembling hand. “You can rest your head on me if you want, if you’d rather not look.”

“Really?” Despite asking, Rin doesn’t wait for affirmation. He slots his head neatly onto Haru’s shoulder and snaps his eyes shut, still clinging to Haru and the armrest with a white-knuckled grip. 

Haru reaches his free arm across his body to smooth Rin’s bangs away from his face, before combing his fingers lightly through flaming hair that is every bit as silky and soft as he had imagined earlier. He settles further into his seat, glad that he can provide some comfort for the other man. His eyes flutter closed as he tips his head to rest gently on Rin’s, an unknown quantity only moments ago. Haru dozes back off, despite the jostling of the airplane as it descends through the atmosphere. 

After they land and taxi safely to the proper gate, and wrestle for their carryons amidst the herd, they deplane and walk silently down the jetway side by side. Haru watches the pink hue crawl up the back of Rin’s neck before disappearing underneath his hair. Rin peeks over and sees Haru staring.

“What? Am I too humiliating to get tea with now?” Rin sounds defensive and on edge and Haru immediately loathes it - he craves sunshine smiles and explosive laughter.

“No,” replies Haru, so quickly it reminds him of the doctor tapping his knee when he was a child. He’s fairly certain he’s never answered a question so rapidly, at least not one that didn’t involve immersing himself in some body of water. “I was just looking at your neck. It’s a pretty color.”

“Haru!” Rin slaps his hand over the topic at hand and Haru admires the new tint to his skin. “Don’t just say stuff like that. Are you always this embarrassing?”

“I could drool on you again.” 

Rin huffs, expression chagrined while he gestures between them. “I think we’re even since _my_ sweat is all over _your_ shoulder.”

“I didn’t expect to swap body fluids on my flight today.” Haru braces for more blushing and Rin’s spluttering. They are not well-acquainted yet, but he already knows enough about the other man to expect an overreaction.

Haru is not disappointed. When the two travelers finally reach the Baggage Claim after weaving through the airport, Rin is still flushed and refusing to look at Haru. 

Haru thanks whatever fates were at play when his coach sent the wake-up call informing him that the team’s trip home had been switched to an earlier time. Although he slept through the majority of it, uninvited on a stranger's shoulder, he’s never before so thoroughly anticipated finding his way home.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the idea, [Andy](https://graydalestairs.tumblr.com/)! I was amused when I saw it, and once I thought of RH as the pairing there was no escape for them from this delightful situation. <333


End file.
